Watched the streamed press conference. Nothing particularly startling in the presser. Took some notes, and these were some of the things I felt were worth jotting.

— The presser started with both Coach Jamie Dixon and AD Steve Pederson sitting down, followed by a minor crush of reporters rushing to the table to put and activate their digital recorders.

— Pederson speaks first, thanking everyone for showing up to the pres conference on short notice, noting that this in part is because of  “today’s speedy news cycle.” (A slight acknowledgment of the rumors and mini-crisis of yesterday?)

— Usual stuff. Lauding Coach Dixon and the job he has done. Lauding the character. Lauding. Lots of lauding.

— Saying that Pitt approached Dixon during the season about another extension and that Dixon never approached them (no mention as to whether Dixon’s agent did).

— I think AD Pederson was tired of press conferences with back-to-backs. He only spoke for some 5 minutes or so.

— Coach Dixon then had some brief comments. Lots of “thank yous” and statements of loyalty and never wanting to leave.  That he, his wife and children love it hear. Acknowledging that he is very lucky. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to go anywhere.”  Basically saying all the things that he wouldn’t say yesterday.

— Then he ended with a confused look, and said, ” I don’t know why we are here today.”

— Pederson responded saying that it was just a coincidence about things. He and Coach Dixon kind of went back and forth about how there was no great time to do this. Coach Dixon leaves for the Final Four tomorrow. Then hits the recruiting trail. Suggesting that it was now or Easter Sunday. Right.

–Questions from the media followed for about the next 15 minutes. What I hate, is that the questions never are heard. Only the responses. They really need to send an intern with a microphone around to whoever is called to ask a question. I understand Nate Byham is available.

— There were questions about yesterday’s radio days. Dixon really didn’t clarify too much. I think one of the reporters read part of his quote back to ask for clarification. Coach Dixon responded, “I think that was what I was referring to.” Thanks for clearing that up.

— Dixon did go on a bit more with whatever was asked saying that two very good friends were fired yesterday. Presumably he meant Al Skinner and Pat Kearney being fired from Boston College and Holy Cross yesterday. Not sure who else lost their job yesterday.

— Again, Dixon refused to comment Oregon or any of the jobs. Mentioning again how he just doesn’t do that.

— Dixon quote about his situation at Pitt, the administration and how lucky he is, “The most important thing in coaching is who you work for.”

— Someone asked Pederson about the rumors of the Oregon job and Dixon, “I was never nervous about rumors over the last 48 hours.”

According to new addition to the Pitt blogosphere, Every Loyal Son, the new contract is in the range of $2.5 million. Unknown at this point.

Via ESPN’s Andy Katz’s Twitter:

News conference at Pitt this afternoon to announce coach Jamie Dixon — getting an extension. Not leaving for Oregon as expected.

And, exhale.

UPDATE (2:16): Press conference is set for 3:30 PM. Here’s the link to watch it stream live.

If anyone is feeling particularly masochistic, listen to local sports talk today in Pittsburgh to find out what anyone says in light of yesterday.

I think it is rather clear that I am a big Coach Jamie Dixon fan and supporter. He is an excellent coach. He runs a clean program that does not even catch a whiff of impropriety. I like the way he handles the Pitt program. I love how it has developed, improved and gotten stronger under him. I love that what Dixon is building is not based and wrapped entirely around him. I also like that he has always been a coach that does not lie to the public.

He does not say things like, “I will never leave Pitt.” Or, “This is my home forever.” In other words, he does not lie about getting contacted and even listening to offers from other programs. Instead, he simply refuses to directly address them. Making it his long-standing approach to refuse to comment on coaching searches.

Would I prefer that Coach Dixon came out and said unequivocally that he would be the coach at Pitt and was not going to Oregon? Yes. Because I would believe him, because when he has said things in the past he has meant them.

The conflict for Coach Dixon is that such unequivocal statements also take diminishes his negotiating position — be it money or years for him, more money for assistants, better money for the program overall, or any other issues. Since Coach Dixon won’t lie about other schools being interested in him, he just won’t comment. From the absurd — DePaul — to the possible — USC — to the big money — Oregon.

Coach Dixon will instead use trusted media sources to pass things along. Andy Katz at ESPN, for example, has proven to be one of the more consistent media folk to get Dixon’s actual view out there. The fact that he has dismissed claims that Dixon would go to Oregon is a good sign.

As AD Pederson said about Dixon,

“For 11 years, I don’t know anybody who has been more loyal or has worked harder or put more of his heart and soul into the University of Pittsburgh than Jamie Dixon has,” Pederson said. “So, every time something like this comes up, I would let their actions speak for them.”

Pederson, of course, also benefits his negotiating position with the statement. While defending and protecting Coach Dixon from questions that he is dodging the question of the Oregon job, he is also reminding Coach Dixon that he has the school’s full support and they too are trusting in him.

This all re-started because Coach Dixon went on the radio — and the radio people did their job — and Coach Dixon did his usual tap dance and sidestep. He did not do it as well as he has or could.

Couple that with The Big Lead speculation that Coach Dixon would take the job. And make no mistake, TBL specifically said, “the guess here” renders that pure speculation. For the record, this morning TBL noted that other media folk have said that Coach Dixon has privately made it known that he turned down Oregon. Gary Parrish at CBS Sports and Jeff Goodman at FoxSports (previously noted here) both have said that.

Mark Madden then cribbed TBL right down to the claim that it would come after the Final Four. [Brief aside, does anyone really believe Mark Madden has “reliable sources” anywhere in college sports? Really? The Pens, sure. Maybe even the Steelers. But at Pitt? In basketball? He barely acknowledges the existence of the sport.] That confluence created the mini-issue

I spent most of the evening watching the NIT and hitting every site and news feed possible to see if there were any updates on the Dixon-Oregon stuff. Nothing. Not even additional baseless speculation.

UPDATE (7:56 PM): Usually I put this at the bottom, but since people are a little freaked out.

As other noted in the comments, Andy Katz at ESPN has repeated — now several times on the air that while “Oregon has made a strong push for Jamie Dixon, but he is not going to go there.” (that was the quote from Katz at the halftime of the Dayton-Ole Miss NIT Semifinal)

—-

Well, suddenly the day is getting weirder. Plus it is Passover, so no beer for me tonight.

Apparently Coach Dixon had a bad day on the radio.

Jamie Dixon went on a radio show earlier today and when asked about Oregon’s situation stated that he doesn’t ever comment on other jobs. Then one of the hosts, Ron Cook, asked him flat out: “You gonna be the Pitt coach next year?” Dixon laughed nervously and said ‘same thing I’m not going to talk even about the Pitt job search.” Dixon then canceled two other radio interviews he had scheduled the rest of the day. Now, within the last hour, another Pittsburgh radio voice — the controversial but well-connected Mark Madden — said on his show that a source has told him Dixon has accepted the Oregon job and it will be announced after the Final Four.

Mark Madden’s “source?” I’m guessing the Big Lead.

Jamie Dixon of Pittsburgh is still the top target and the guess here is that after the Final Four (shortly, you’ll see why that date is important), he’ll take the job. He privately met with an Oregon official over the weekend in New York City. Dixon’s difficult decision: Oregon’s roster is blah. Pittsburgh’s is real nice. Pittsburgh has two incoming Top 150 recruits next year. Oregon has none. Next season will be a lost cause at Oregon, with hopes that maybe in 2012 they can contend in the Pac-10. Will the extra $1 or $1.5 mil a year make up for the one or two years of struggles?

Of course, TBL also says that Mark Turgeon isn’t a big enough name, even though, everyone else reported that he already rebuffed interest. TBL also says Tubby Smith does not have an offer. So, take all of this for what it is worth

The Pitt Athletic Department reports that it has not been asked by Oregon to speak with Coach Dixon — which is worth even less these days.

Oh, and Holy Cross fired Pat Kearney after one season. Pitt assistant Tom Herrion was one of the finalists for that job last season.

Um, stay tuned?

Really not much to say. I don’t have a real problem with it. It seems like the kind of formality to make it clear that he is going to be here a while — on the off chance someone wanted to negative recruit against Pitt that Wannstedt could be on his way out. We all know he isn’t going anywhere.

The extension in terms of years is only two more. He is now under contract until 2014. Presumably there is a bit of a bump in salary to keep him among the upper-part of the conference.

Just caught the second half of the press conference, where Coach Wannstedt was wrapping up talking about his love for Pitt, how the recruiting has improved, depth is much better, that there is stability in the program and kids know Pitt is not a stepping-stone for coaches.

Then the floor was opened to questions including spring practice. Yes, the topic of QBs just happened to be discussed. Coach Wannstedt remains steadfast that this is still a competition.

He said that Bostick is getting just as much work as Sunseri — just to different players. Yes, he said it with a straight face.

When talking about the two, it is clear that he sees much more potential in Sunseri at this point. He used the term “upside.” Mentioned how he can make throws and can move around so well.

Then it was time to say good things about Bostick.”Pat. Well, Pat is Pat.”

Yes that is what he said. I am reasonably certain that is an exact quote. He went on to say that he has confidence that Bostick could step on the field now and get the team in the endzone. If you had any further doubt about the depth chart at QB. This answered it.

I went back and looked over my post on how it seems that the QB competition is over before it started. I certainly don’ t make the claim that Bostick should be the starter over Sunseri, or vice versa. I think most fans aren’t absolutely certain one way or another. That’s why it seems so surprising and confusing that it seems that Sunseri has the job this quickly.

That is how I look at it. Obviously I don’t know as much as the coaches. I don’t see the kids in practice. The amount of work Tino Sunseri saw last year hardly provides much to go on. Pat Bostick redshirted last year, so there is little to know about how far he actually has come. I took the coaches statements at face value that the competition was open and that no decision was made — and I think most people did.

Apparently I had a burst of naivete in that respect. So in less than a week after practices got underway — and even statements that the competition was absolutely open despite evidence suggesting otherwise — to have that be otherwise. Well, I can understand frustration and annoyance at Coach Wannstedt. Hate feeling like you can’t even believe the things your own coach is saying.

I really don’t buy the Western Pennsylvania conspiracy stuff. Nor do I buy the whole ties to Sunseri the elder. Putting all of it on Coach Wannstedt is not fair and seems to be a bit of a way to avoid pinning any of the decision on popular assistant coach Frank Cignetti.

Yes, Wannstedt is in charge and the final decision is his. I don’t think he’d ignore his coaches and what happens in practice just because of geographic or family ties.

P-G beat writer Paul Zeise concedes that it is now Sunseri’s job, but offers this caution.

Tino is the No. 1 quarterback because he is physically more gifted than Pat Bostick and has far more upside. But that isn’t any different than the way things were last year during training camp – he threw the best ball, could make all the passes, had the strongest arm and quickest release of any quarterback in camp. But when push came to shove, he couldn’t seperate himself from the other two so the coaches opted for the experience and grit of Stull and well, that worked out obviously. So while he is clearly on track to be the starter, when they put him in position to win or lose the job against a live pass rush, blitzes and changing defenses in the fall — will he be able to win it this year or will the coaches be in the position to opt for experience again? I’m thinking he’ll get it done but until it happens, you just never know.

That much I’m not buying unless there is an injury. Sunseri has the job now. He will have the job in the fall. Say this for Coach Wannstedt and even what we have seen from OC Cignetti. Once they commit to a QB, it takes something much more cataclysmic before they make the change.

Sunseri struggling in live practices in the fall will not cost him the job. At that point, the script becomes he has the chemistry with the starters and he will come around. Plus there just won’t be time at that point.

Guys at the Cat Basket had been saying from the start, that Tino Sunseri was going to be handed the starting QB job by Coach Wannstedt in the spring. The early indications bore that out as the supposed to be a QB competition alternating the 1st and 2nd team between Pat Bostick and Sunseri went out the window as soon as practice began.

Now Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti is saying there is competition — but the description is in name only.

“Right now, there’s competition at every position. Tino’s number one and Pat’s number two, just like Dion Lewis is number one and Ray Graham is number two but there’s great competition. There’s competition at every position,” Cignetti said Thursday.

Cignetti’s analogy is telling: there’s no uncertainty about Lewis’s role in Pitt’s offense, and now there appears to be little uncertainty at the quarterback position as well.

Yeah, not the best comparison to suggest “competition” in the way expected. The thing that seems so odd is that Sunseri has hardly appeared to be running away with things by most accounts.

So far in spring camp, Sunseri has completed roughly 66% of his passes and has been intercepted six times, most coming in a rough outing on Tuesday when he threw four picks. Bostick has completed approximately 73.9% of his passes and has been picked off just twice.

“Some of the interceptions are bad decisions, and those are correctable,” Cignetti said. “Tino and Pat are doing a tremendous job of competing. The first thing we ask those young men to do is come out here and compete. They’re both out here to win a job, and they’re both here to win every snap and every drill. They’ve both done a very nice job running the offense. There are run-game adjustments, there are protection adjustments, and there are obviously decisions to make in the passing game, and I think that Tino and Pat have both made good decisive decisions.”

Yes, there is a big difference between passing against the 1st team defense and the 2nd team defense (especially with such low depth in the secondary). So that has to be taken into account. The fact that the coaching staff hasn’t even tried to switch things up early to pay lip service to competition with Sunseri and Bostick is still surprising. Even if the end result is predictable.

Also predictable. The story of a young player responding well to a new position coach and getting better. Hello, MLB Dan Mason and new Linebacker Coach Bernard Clark.

Mason has a new mentor who should help ease his transition. Bernard Clark took over as linebackers coach this spring after Joe Tumpkin left to become the defensive coordinator at Central Michigan.

Clark won two national championships when he was the starting linebacker for the Miami Hurricanes in 1987 and ’89. He wants to help Mason with his mental approach to the game.

“The best thing about Dan is he has such natural instincts,” Clark said. “The thing about Dan is you have to slow him down. He’s so excited about playing. He’s really hyper when he’s out there on the field. It’s basically pulling the reigns back and letting him know things develop in front of him — let it develop and react that way. He’s so quick to react right now. That’s the biggest thing we’re working with him on right now. His instincts and speed are outstanding.”

How’s it going in learning to handle pass coverage?

Clark said it’s not unusual for a linebacker coming from the high school ranks to be behind in pass coverage skills. Most high school teams do not face sophisticated passing schemes, so when they line up in college and face intricate passing games it is the first time they are exposed to it.

“It’s a situation where he hasn’t played the pass as much, so it’s getting used to it more than anything,” Clark said.

Insert cynical, snarky, outdated comment about going against Pitt’s offense to learn pass coverage.

Now for the silly. Pitt has depth at running back. We all know that. There’s some quality at the spot. So there’s the story of the competition pushing Dion Lewis and the absurd headline to the article. “Pitt rushing game won’t be one-man show.”

“We all know Dion had a lot of success last season. We know he did a great job,” said Pitt running backs coach David Walker. “But Ray Graham’s trying to win a job. Jason Douglas is trying to win the starting tailback job. Chris Burns is trying to win the starting tailback job. So, those guys are working hard, and they’re not going to concede anything to Dion.”

Now to be fair, there is nothing in the story to suggest that Pitt is even pretending that there will be a rotation at running back. Also keep in mind that the story writer is not the guy that writes the headlines for articles.

Take those factors out and it becomes a standard spring practice story on a position that is set. We know that Dion Lewis is the starter. That he is going to be the workhouse back — having already shown he can handle it — and that Coach Wannstedt is a one-back guy.

This is my fault. Luke has sent me some updates, but I’ve been lousy about getting them posted. So, here’s how the final scenarios play out:

Renato leads with 293 points, but he can garner no further points with his Kansas-Kentucky championship game. He needs Duke to beat WVU, then lose to the winner of Butler-Michigan State.

Jacob actually nailed three of the four Final Four teams. If WVU wins the whole thing, he takes the prize. Presently he sits back at 229 points but WVU can carry him all the way to 325 points.

Eric has WVU in the championship game, but losing to Syracuse. If WVU beats Duke but loses the Championship, he takes the prize with 306 points.

Finally, OntarioLetsGoPitt also picked a Duke-WVU match-up, but went with Duke winning the entire thing. If Duke wins the NCAA Tournament, OLGP gets to 294 points and just edges Renato by a single point.

Not too confusing at this point.

Hello all. Sorry for the gaps. Been visiting family and yesterday was travel day to get home.

Coach Jamie Dixon was doing studio work for CBS College Sports Saturday night in New York City. Guess who was also in NYC that same weekend?

It is not known if Dixon has officially been interviewed by Pat Kilkenny, the former UO director of athletics heading the search, but it seems likely. Dixon is in New York this weekend, working for CBS College Sports Network, while a source indicated that Kilkenny traveled to New York on Friday and was still there Saturday.

Kilkenny could have also arranged to meet other coaches during his stay in New York, but Dixon is the only one definitely known to also be in the city. Neither Dixon nor Kilkenny responded to telephone calls Saturday.

Texas A&M’s Mark Turgeon, who had once been an assistant at Oregon is apparently out as he just got a raise and extension prior to the weekend. The money is for $1.5 million — or about $100K less than what Coach Dixon reportedly earns. Why this means Turgeon is out, but Dixon is still in play exactly remains a mystery.

Tubby Smith remains another mystery as to whether Oregon really wants him, and whether he is really interested. Some reports say he’s going nowhere, others suggest he is mulling a slight bump to $2 million +/year to go west.

Smith has been offered the University of Oregon job, but hasn’t accepted it, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Pioneer Press on Sunday.

The offer is believed to be in excess of $2 million annually. Smith, who led the Gophers to a 21-14 record and a second straight NCAA tournament appearance in his third season this year, currently earns a salary of $1.8 million a year.

Oregon representatives contacted Smith directly last week about the job, a person close to Smith said Friday. But Eugene, Ore., television station KEZI-TV reported Sunday that Smith wasn’t a candidate and that the university hadn’t spoken to him.

I am not too sure about believing anything from that Eugene TV station after this report.

A source close to the University of Oregon Athletic Department has told KEZI the Ducks are planning to offer Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo the largest contract in college basketball, with the backing of Oregon’s biggest booster, Nike Chairman Phil Knight.

Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari currently has the largest contract, after he signed an eight-year, $31.65 million deal last year. Izzo currently makes about $2.5 million per year, excluding bonuses.

Don’t get me wrong, after this weekend it is hard not to say that Izzo is one of the absolute best coaches in college basketball and is the present master of NCAA Tournament. Now appearing in his sixth Final Four. So if anyone is going to get the biggest contract out there, why not him. It is simply that when you add in his bonuses, Izzo makes well over $3 million. He’ll get another raise after this year. Plus he is a Michigan native with no ties or reason to go to Oregon.

Oh, and then there is the fact that the guy — who is not the AD at Oregon — running the search says he wants his the coach hired by the weekend of the Final Four. The lack of knowing who is in charge at Oregon (I mean aside from Nike) is going to be a big deterrent for anyone other than an assistant or mid-major coach to take the gig. Heck, they don’t even have an interim AD at this point.

The interim AD is Lorraine Davis, who doesn’t take her post until April 20, and won’t be involved in the hiring.

The decision will instead be made by Kilkenny.

But what will Kilkenny’s long-term role be with the Ducks?

Unless he is planning on again running the department on a daily basis, the new coach is likely to want some assurance of any promises that are made to him. That could come from UO president Rirchard Lariviere, but he’s traveling in Asia for the next week and unavailable for an in-person talk with any coaches.

It’s no wonder that ESPN’s Andy Katz is dismissing all the “names” that Oregon is pursuing.

Once Oregon is done with Smith (after not getting Turgeon), Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Florida’s Billy Donovan and Pitt’s Jamie Dixon, the Ducks will have to refocus the search.

The lack of stability in the Oregon athletic department is the main reason I dismiss most of the Dixon talk.

Has he listened to what Oregon is trying to sell? Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Outside of more cash — which he has turned down at other places with better potential — there isn’t much to want. Add in questions of who would actually be in charge of the athletic department, when Dixon has shown an understanding of how that really affects the success or failure of the coach, and it looks like a ridiculous longshot.

UPDATE (10:08 AM): And here’s a post from Jeff Goodman at FoxSports saying that Oregon is now focused on Tubby Smith and that Dixon “spurned” Oregon interest.

However, most top-tier coaches understand that the job isn’t nearly as attractive as the Ducks believe it to be. Sure, there’s the Nike connection – but the recruiting base is often bare and even with a state-of-the-art new building set to open, it’s an average Pac-10 job.

Oregon attempted to get guys like Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Florida’s Billy Donovan and Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, but were spurned by all three.

So it twirls.

It’s a practice this morning, so hopefully there will be something interesting to read tomorrow. In the meantime a couple of the stories focus on players who now have their chance to grab the starting jobs.

Mike Cruz has been stuck behind Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson at TE. He has the early chance to be the starting TE this season.

“It was a huge loss losing two of the best tight ends in the country, and you really have some shoes to fill,” Cruz said. “I feel like I need to step in and be a leader for the whole tight end group and for the offense. It’s a huge, huge loss, but you can’t dwell on who you lost. You just gotta step up and do your best.”

Cruz now leads a Pitt tight end group with several new faces, including redshirt junior Andrew Devlin, who sat out last season after transferring from Virginia, and redshirt freshman Brock DeCicco.

“I definitely learned a lot watching Nate and all the older guys,” DeCicco said. “Now, I’m just coming out, learning from Cruz and trying to learn and compete. It’s making us all better right now.”

Brock DeCicco was a big TE recruit, but Cruz was no small recruit either. He had waffled between Pitt and Alabama.  While none of the TEs on the depth chart are athletic freaks like Dickerson, that doesn’t mean they can’t get a lot of chances to catch the ball. Byham — prior to getting hurt and Dickerson emerging — had lots of chances.

Then there is redshirt junior Chris Jacobson. He has had to take a medical redshirt early and ended up behind other O-linemen who developed. That and, of course, he made mistakes in practice. Something that Coach Wannstedt never wants to see.

Jacobson could always do the latter. From a physical standpoint, he was ready to play when he was a true freshman, but not having a full grasp of the mental aspects of the game is what prevented him from earning the starting left guard position this past fall.

Jacobson competed with senior Joe Thomas throughout camp, but the coaches decided to start Thomas because he did not make as many mental errors.

“It was just stupid mistakes that shouldn’t have been made that you want to kick yourself in the butt for,” Jacobson said. “It was never the physical part. It was just some of the mental parts.

“But now the mental part is clicking. Now I look at some of the mistakes I made, and it’s like, ‘That’s so easy. It all falls in like a puzzle.’ “

He was very effective in the Meineke Bowl,when Thomas was hurt. The job is obviously his. Not even to lose. It’s his job barring injury or a complete meltdown.

Sorry for the lateness. Visiting family, and away from what passes for normalcy.

Oregon columnist/sports radio guy blog post on an interview with the David Pump of Pump Bros.:

Said Pump: “Oregon job is a Top 20 job, it’s extremely, extremely attractive. They’re paying top dollars and will probably end up paying more (to the next coach) than any Pac-10 school out there.”

Pump called Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon Oregon’s top priorities, and saw Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett as the fallback candidate.

First, the Pump Bros. are not running the search for Oregon.

Second, money alone does not make it a top-20 gig. In no particular order: UCLA, Arizona, USC, Washington, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Kentucky, Florida, Ohio St., Purdue, Michigan St., Indiana, Wake Forest, Duke, UNC, NC St., Maryland, UConn, Syracuse, Louisville and Pitt are all better jobs in terms of the combination of money, recruiting, reputation and fan passion for basketball among BCS programs. That is 23 teams off the top of my head, and Oregon at its best comes into the tier with Tennessee, Michigan,, Georgia and Texas A&M — football schools that are willing to spend money to look decent or better in basketball.

The rumors for Oregon really don’t seem to be focused on Jamie Dixon. More on Mark Turgeon since he was a Oregon assistant in the past and longshots that others claim Phil Knight wants: Tubby Smith from Minnesota, Billy Donavan of Florida and Michigan St.’s Tom Izzo.

Izzo receives $300,000 a year to represent and wear Nike clothing and equipment, plus a $25,000 annual Nike merchandise credit in addition to Nike equipment provided for his basketball camps and four assistant coaches, as well as a bonus package that takes into account postseason games.

Izzo also became embroiled in a dispute during the past season when he came to the defense of Nike and lashed out at Michigan State alums for being critical of a new logo designed by Nike for the school’s sports teams.

Well, that ‘s enough to convince me.

Chris Dokish addresses further comments and notes that it seems unlikely Dixon is leaving for Oregon.

Maurice Walker remains one of the better players not to be signed. Even if he does end up at Pitt. Be realistic. He won’t have much of an impact until at least his second year.

Maurice Walker (6-10, 270) | Grade: 92 | C Rank: 8
Toronto, Can./Brewster Academy (N.H.)
He is a Canadian transplant that has developed his game in the New England prep ranks. He is a space-eater that is a huge presence bumping and grinding in the paint. Although he is limited athletically and is better suited for a team that likes to play in the half court, his combination of size and soft hands will be in high demand during the late signing period.

That description also explains why he is so interested in signing with Pitt and their history of developing big men like that.

Continuing the Pittsburgh area silliness and focused only on the NCAA Tournament to determine that Coach Dixon is an underachiever is today’s Q&A comparing him Cowher. That’s just plain foolishness of the typical fan that only pays attention to things starting in March. That’s as stupid as defining a football coach’s success only in terms of whether he wins a bowl game, because that was the only time you started paying attention.

Maybe it is because I don’t reside in the ‘Burgh. I didn’t know there was a huge debate and divide over Coach Jamie Dixon.

I ask, because few local sports personalities generate as much hysterical reaction as Dixon.

Some consider him overrated. They say he’s never won a big game, ignoring the fact he wins big games every year.

Others wildly boast that Dixon is the best coach in America. Which sounds great until you look at all the names you’d put behind him.

I can say that there seems little debate among college basketball bloggers and writers around the country that Coach Dixon is one of the best coaches — and always high on fans wishlists. Obviously, I am part of the group that believes Coach Dixon is one of the best coaches in the country.

Not top-5 or even top-10 (which when considered with career achievements includes Krzyzewski, Williams, Self, Izzo, Pitino, Calhoun, Boeheim, Howland, Donovan, Calipari). Instead he is in that high-character, excellent coach tier with Ryan, Wright, Few, Miller, Crean and others like that .

The dichotomy of maximizing the talent of players, but not getting the most talented players possible seems to really be the issue. Something that has been beaten to death over the years. I’ve maintained in the past, and seeing it occurring in the present, that the way Coach Dixon has built this Pitt program is not to be flash and immediate. Instead it is steady, building on each success. The talent has been increasing each year.

Like everything in life, the growth and progression is not a pure straight line. There are dips and spikes, but it is all trending upward. The result is a stronger overall program with better foundations and creating a perspective of high expectations within the program and by the fans.

The issue of not winning the big games, really comes down to not getting the team to the Final Four or more. Under Dixon, the team is always near the top of the conference. They have made runs to and won the Big East Tournament. The team has always made the NCAA Tournament, made the Sweet 16 and for the first time in the programs history gotten past the two-win mark in the NCAA Tournament. They even achieved their first #1 ranking in the polls.

You can expect a lot of this sort of write-up about Pitt for next year.

Pittsburgh: After losing DaJaun Blair and Sam Young to the NBA, the Panthers were under the radar entering the season, but coach Jamie Dixon again proved the staying power of his program with a 25-9 record and a tie for second place in the Big East. This time around, Dixon should be returning nearly all of his significant contributors. Sophomore leading scorer Ashton Gibbs will again be one of the Big East’s top home run threats and solid point guard Brad Wanamaker returns for his senior season. Gone will be defensive specialist Jermaine Dixon. The defense will again be anchored by 6’10” junior Gary McGhee, the Panthers’ top rebounder and shot-blocker. This collection of solid talent will be joined by a pair of Rivals ranked recruits, No. 69 Isiah Epps, who will back up Wanamaker initially, and No. 107 J.J. Moore, who could help replace the defensive gap created by Dixon’s departure. Should be another strong team for Dixon.

Yes, I know there are plenty of inaccuracies and fallacies in the details. That is the difference between broad overviews of a boatload of team and focused examinations.

I don’t know how closely anyone follows the coaching rumor mill, but yesterday had a real fun one. Ben Howland to DePaul, and then Pitino to UCLA. Sadly the silliness was debunked, but that’s great stuff. Still, there is some claim that it was somewhat legit, while at least acknowledging Dixon to DePaul was never real.

Contrary to a TV report that ran in Chicago last week, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon was never a serious candidate for the job. He is a good friend of DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto and the two keep in touch but Dixon never was offered the job and he never seriously considered it. UCLA coach Ben Howland did consider the DePaul opening but decided on Tuesday to stay in Westwood where he feels his program is poised for a rebound season after a difficult 2009-10 campaign.

Sorry, the only reason Howland’s representatives even listened is for the same reasons any coach’s agent listens. The money (rumored to be in the $3 million ballpark) and to remind his bosses that he is still a valuable commodity. Something Howland probably needed to do after the disaster of a season the Bruins had.

Coach Dixon was out yesterday in Chambersburg, PA watching a potential recruit for 2011 in Jaylen Bond.

Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Jaylen Bond may have picked the perfect time to get rid of the blues, caused by foul-shooting woes, that have plagued him recently.

Last night, in a PIAA Class AAAA state semifinal against North Allegheny, with University of Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon watching him for the first time, Bond delivered a monster performance to place PW within a win of its first state championship since 1997.

Fueling a 16-2 scoring surge, Bond erupted for 12 of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter as the Colonials broke open a two-point game and blasted the Tigers, 71-47, at Chambersburg Area High.

“This was my best game in the whole playoffs,” Bond, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, said. “I did everything I could to help my team win.”

He also had 14 rebounds in the game. Bond has interest from Villanova and WVU, as well as FSU and Temple. This story has video from the game (Bond is #15). At the moment, Pitt still has one scholarship open for the 2011 class. Guard John Johnson has one spot claimed.

Bond gets a “93” from Scouts, Inc./ESPN.com (Insider subs), but they don’t have an evaluation up since April of 2009.

He has very good length coupled with very good leaping ability, which makes him a handful on the offensive boards. He runs the floor well and can finish off the break with a dunk. In the paint, he has a tendency to keep the ball low, which serves to make him smaller and prone to guards coming in and swiping the ball from him. Bond also will have to work on staying under control offensively and not playing too fast, which makes him turnover prone at times.

He’s a tweener as far as forwards go. Plays inside like a PF, but size makes him more like a SF. For those hoping Pitt goes for more size inside, with recruits, this won’t make you happy.

I will almost certainly revisit this over the summer, when there is more time to ponder. Not to mention a little more space from the immediacy of the end of the season. And of course, because I’ll need filler material for the blog in the dog days.

It’s hard to get a bearing on how much better Pitt basketball will be in 2010. Certainly, the team will be in all of the preseason rankings and expectations will be there. What does that mean?

As far as the record goes, I could see them struggling to match this season’s totals. For one, they will certainly be looking at a slightly more challenging non-con with the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and some other games. Another factor will be that as a team with expectations and likely to be picked for the upper 4th of the conference, they will be looking at a harder conference schedule.

In 2008-09, Pitt was in the top-10 all season. They finished with a 15-3 Big East record. This season saw Pitt finish with a 13-5 conference record. Without context, that is a remarkable achievement to finish only 2 off the pace of a tremendous season. But with unbalanced scheduling, not all records are created equal (just ask Virginia Tech’s misleading 10-6 ACC record).

That, however, isn’t really the issue. The issue stems from Bob Smizik’s blog post, which essentially clips Chris Dokish’s blog post. A post in which, the focus had little to do with the next season as a whole, but simply the postseason.

Let’s just jump right to what Dokish concludes.

This program has a lot of excellent supporting parts. The problem is, there was no star. With DeJuan Blair on this team, suddenly Gibbs gets open, Wanamaker doesn’t have to waste energy rebounding over his head, McGhee comes off the bench, etc. But without that star player, everybody was forced to play over their head. Much to their everlasting credit, they did do more than they should have been asked to for much of the season. But you can only stretch so much before you break.

The same will probably happen next season, though as many as five new players enter the mix. And it’s those five that will be the center of this team in two years. If Moore is eligible next season, he has the ability to be a star as a sophomore. Epps and Wright will at least be good as sophs, and maybe even better. Gibbs and Robinson will be seniors, Richardson, Taylor, Woodall, Patterson, and Zanna will be juniors, and John Johnson will arrive as a freshman, along with one or two others yet to be named.

Bottom line, this year was a rebuilding year and almost ended in the Sweet 16. Next year should be better and a Sweet 16 is a good possibility. Not bad for a team with no stars. The good news is, the stars may be on the way.

I hardly think anything he said was that outrageous or down on the team.

What seems to have some annoyed is the suggestion  of player upside:

The problem is that the players with the highest ceilings will still not be ready yet, and the upperclassmen simply don’t have high ceilings.

Those players are Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Gary McGhee, Gilbert Brown and Nasir Robinson.

I’m hard pressed to disagree with his assessment on four of them — strictly on a production standpoint. Gibbs, Wanamaker, McGhee and Brown are not going to produce numbers that much higher than what they had this year. Where you want to see the change in them, is in consistency, efficiency and fewer mistakes. Better shooting percentage, lower turnover numbers and less variation of totals from game to game.

Oddly, Robinson didn’t get mentioned. He’s the one player I actually have hopes to make a more significant jump. Oh, he’s still going to be inconsistent on offense. He doesn’t have a pretty game. I think we all know that. I can see him, though, becoming the defensive specialist. He has the requisite toughness, plus deceptive speed and wiriness to stay on a lot of wing players.

The biggest difference between this past season and the coming season. Higher expectations from the outset.

Good, free information on spring practices seems to be very limited. This is where we really miss the infodumps of Kevin Gorman’s blog. Everything else seems to be behind paywalls and subscriptions.

There’s a post-practice video interview with Jared Holley that lets you know he is happy to be back practicing and stuff.

A little old, but over at Cat Basket they talk a little about the opening of camp. Let’s just say they have their doubts over the actual openness of the QB competition.

Arguably, they are looking right in their predictions as Sunseri has practiced only with the first team — but Coach Wannstedt says not to read anything into that. Why would anyone do that?

Other details is that, yes, the TE spot is Mike Cruz’s to lose. Devlin and DeCicco have not shown Coach Wannstedt much yet.

Shayne Hale knows that he is not only learning to play DE, but that he is behind two of the best in the Big East. Still he is eager and has his cliches down cold.

“He hasn’t even played the position for a year yet, but he has really improved,” said defensive line coach Greg Gattuso. “We need him to be able to play 15 to 20 snaps a game next year and that is if [the two starters] are healthy. If we get an injury, we’ll need more, and if he isn’t playing that many there is something wrong.”

Hale, who is 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds, said he knows his time is now and he’s making sure he takes full advantage of the opportunity.

“I’ve been staying after practice working on things, I want to work with [strength and conditioning coach] Buddy Morris on getting even stronger,” Hale said. “I know I can be a big part of things in the future, but I have to start this year. Just getting on the field and making plays when my number is called, that is all that I can control.”

In controlled scrimmage, the retooled O-line got some work. Coach Wannstedt was upbeat (shocking and stunning) while offensive line coach Tony Wise, playing the part of crusty, curmudgeon coach was less so.

At times, Wannstedt liked what he saw during a 45-minute controlled scrimmage. But offensive line coach Tony Wise wasn’t overly impressed.

When asked if he feels confident about filling the gaps on an offensive line that lost three starters — center Robb Houser, along with guards Joe Thomas and John Malecki — Wise sharply responded, “No.”

Wise is expecting more from his returning starters, All-Big East left tackle Jason Pinkston and right tackle Lucas Nix. And he’s demanding more of the projected first-year starters — guards Chris Jacobson and Greg Gaskins, and center Alex Karabin — in the weeks leading up to the Panthers’ spring game April 17 at Heinz Field.

What is spring practice or training camp without concern over the O-line?

Nothing really noteworthy. While Oregon might come after Coach Jamie Dixon, assuming Gonzaga’s Mark Few rejects them once more, there is not much belief Dixon would seriously consider it.

Multiple sources have also told me that Oregon will target Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon — as USC and Arizona did a year ago — in an attempt to get the West Coast native to return back closer to home.

However, I’d be shocked if Dixon — who has done one of the top coaching jobs in the country this year and in his tenure at Pittsburgh — would agree to take an Oregon job that isn’t all that attractive except for its ties to Nike.

The Nike ties. It seems that with Phil Knight on hand, the coach had better be in the Nike stable.

Mike Bellotti’s decision to step down as athletic director makes it even more clear that former AD and influential Oregon booster Pat Kilkenny will make the hire with the nod from Nike’s Phil Knight, who has invested in Oregon as much as any high-profile alumnus at any other school. Don’t be surprised to see the next Oregon coach coming from the family of coaches who work with Nike.

The resignation of Bellotti is a huge strike against someone like Dixon taking the job — or really many top coaches. There’s no sense at who is in charge there in the future. And at a program where football is much more important, even a “name” coach has to worry about getting involved in a situation where the next AD will be hired after he is.

I think Oregon might already be aware that the chances of getting  Dixon and certain other coaches probably won’t happen. Witness this bit from a beat writer indicating a sudden concern by Oregon over the style of play by the coach they hire.

Oregon isn’t necessarily looking for style over substance in its new basketball coach. The Ducks want a whole lot of both.

We’re not talking uniform colors here, but playing style. Fast is good. Fast and smart is better. Fast, smart and defensive-minded? Sign here.

Oregon is ready to throw a lot of money at the right coach, a coach who can fill a big new arena. A coach can do that three ways: He must have a resume that inspires excitement, he must bring an entertaining style of play and – oh yeah – he must win.

…

Pittsburgh, under Oregon coaching candidate Jamie Dixon, is far from speedy — his Panthers play at a pace almost equal to that of Oregon State. Duck fans may be smarting over the Beavers’ sweep of their team this season, but they probably aren’t eager to adopt OSU’s style.

You would think, given the offseason that Oregon football is having, that getting players that won’t be arrested would make the list. But no, the article has quotes from (Ommygodthey) Kilkenny talking about how important the style is.

There is also the fact that it is not nearly as simple as shoveling buckets of Nike money at someone.

Oregon is shooting large by going after Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Florida’s Billy Donovan. I’d be surprised if any of them were to take the bait. The money isn’t as grand as what apparently is being bandied about. The facilities are expected to be beautiful, but Nike czar Phil Knight has always been about improving the infrastructure at Oregon more so than supplementing a coaching salary.

That’s somewhat silly. When Phil Knight is footing the bill for infrastructure costs, then more money is freed to pay the coach. It may not be directly from Nike, but it impacts.

The fact that style of play suddenly has become a factor indicates that both Jamie Dixon and Mark Turgeon of Texas A&M showed little interest in the predictable feelers that have been put out there. You don’t make statements that effectively limit your pool unless you want to cover yourself from claims that you were rebuffed. That or they doing whatever it takes to get Mark Few from Gonzaga.